[Canton, 1850s-60s)
Tingqua, also known as Guan Lianchang in Chinese (ca. 1809-70), was one of the most celebrated Chinese export artists at the time. His watercolours in the bird-and-flower genre, port scenes and interiors were in popular demand. Located at 16 New China Street in Canton, his flourishing studio was filled with other painters and apprentices under his direction, and was frequented by westerners who desired works that epitomized a slice of China, such as the present work.
Tingqua came from a family of artists: his father Guan Zuolin, often known by his western name, Spoilum, was the first identifiable artist of the Cantonese export school. His elder brother was Lamqua (1801-60), who painted canvases in an even more western style, such as his celebrated self-portrait kept in the Hong Kong Museum of Art.
Bodycolour on prepared canvas (43.2 x 55.2 cm), framed and glazed.
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